Perfection Wasted by John UpdikeAnd another regrettable thing about death is the ceasing of your own brand of magic, which took a whole life to develop and market — the quips, the witticisms, the slant adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched in the footlight glow, their laughter close totears, their tears confused with their diamond earrings, their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat, their response and your performance twinned. The jokes over the phone. The memoriespacked in the rapid-access file. The whole act. Who will do it again? That’s it: no one; imitators and descendants aren’t the same.

”Messenger”by Mary OliverMy work is loving the world.Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird— equal seekers of sweetness.Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters,which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.The phoebe, the delphinium.The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart and these body-clothes,a mouth with which to give shouts of joy to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever.

1 - see yourself in everyone, and don’t collapse yourself or your POVs (point of views) onto anyone - your work is to help your people see more than the POV that they already have - expand their POV and don’t give them yours, it’s just yours.

2 - F*ck the agree/disagree game. Play in the seek to understand mode. Share-share-share, even when what you want to share doesn't appear to be directly relevant. When you lead with, what you agree-on or disagree-with, you inherently shrink and limit the conversation.

3 - body language and cadence of communication will give you insight - insight into your inner-workings and insight into others. So, get present enough that you can witness yourself AND who’s around you.

4 - pick one thing to rally people around, stick to it, tie all of your other strategies and projects to it. It’s a way to get all of your people in-on and connected to a bigger picture. Buy-in goes a long way.

5 - create a measure for everything - it will generate a healthy achievement driven culture.

6 - not all feedback needs to be shared. period.

7 - get yourself clear everyday, and all of the time. If you don’t, your sh*t will start to get out onto your team, and everything will stink.

8 - whatever you create the conditions for, you will get. If you create the conditions for complaint, you will get complaint, if you create the conditions for open communication, you will get open communication.

9 - alignment produces desired results, not balance. Balance is an inside-sport, don’t let other people tell you what it is and what it isn’t.

I am a 500 RYT, 200 E-RYT and a certified 500 hour Baptiste Yoga teacher-leader. I am a licensed to lead a body of leadership developement work now-known as lightyear leadership, formerly known as igolu communication. I use yoga and lightyear leadership principles to train humans, teams, and organizations in communication, leadership, community, and customer service.